Open mike 05/12/2019
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7:00 am, December 5th, 2019 - 63 comments
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Newsroom has a good piece this morning about the government's consultation on industrial free allocations, revealing that Fletcher Building is getting an extra $5 million a year ($7 million at today's prices) due to miscalculated carbon subsidies. That's bad, and it needs to be stopped by resetting emissions baselines to ...55 mins ago - End the Tiwai scamA little over a year ago, Rio Tinto was pleading povery, claiming its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was unprofitable, and threatening to close it unless it got a government handout to keep it running. Their bluff worked, and we ended up paying the BluffGeld by giving them lower electricity prices ...3 hours ago
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- Prime Minister congratulates Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on Election WinPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern tonight congratulated Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on her victory in the Samoa’s general election. “New Zealand has a special relationship with Samoa, anchored in the Treaty of Friendship. We look forward to working with Samoa’s new government in the spirit of partnership that characterises this ...6 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with Australia suspendedQuarantine Free Travel from all Australian states and territories to New Zealand is being suspended as the Covid situation there worsens, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. From 11.59pm today Australians will no longer be able to enter New Zealand quarantine-free. This will be ...6 days ago
- Growing conservation efforts in GisborneA big injection of Jobs for Nature funding will create much-needed jobs and financial security for families in TeTairāwhiti, and has exciting prospects for conservation in the region, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The projects target local communities most affected by the economic consequences of COVID 19 and are designed ...6 days ago
- Flood recovery given further assistanceThe Government is contributing a further $1 million to help the flood battered Buller community, Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Buller is a small community which has found itself suddenly facing significant and ongoing welfare costs. While many emergency welfare costs are reimbursed by Government, this money ...7 days ago
- Funding for five projects to reduce food wasteThe Government is funding five projects to help address the growing problem of food waste, Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “New Zealand households throw away nearly 300,000 tonnes of food every year, half of which could still be eaten. By supporting these initiatives, we’re taking steps to reduce this ...1 week ago
- Temporary Accommodation Service activated for West Coast flooding eventThe Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated today - meaning residents on the West Coast of the South Island and in the Marlborough region hit by flooding over the weekend can now access help finding temporary accommodation, announced Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Poto Williams in Westport today. ...1 week ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New Zealand will be paused from 11.59am (NZT) tonight, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. However, people currently in the state who ordinarily live in New Zealand will be able to return on “managed return” flights starting with the next available flight, ...1 week ago
- New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity by Chinese state-sponsored actorsNew Zealand has established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. “The GCSB has worked through a robust technical attribution process in relation to this activity. New Zealand is today joining other countries in strongly condemning this malicious ...1 week ago
- Remarks to Diplomatic CorpsIt is a pleasure to be with you all this evening. Some of you may have been surprised when you received an invitation from the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, and I would forgive you if you were. New Zealand is unique in having established a Ministerial portfolio ...1 week ago
- Early Pfizer shipment boosts vaccine scheduleThe largest shipment of the Pfizer vaccine to date has arrived into New Zealand two days ahead of schedule, and doses are already being delivered to vaccination centres around the country, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The shipment of more than 370,000 doses reached New Zealand yesterday, following a ...1 week ago
- Backing for Bay of Islands predator free effortThe Government is throwing its support behind an ambitious project to restore native biodiversity and build long-term conservation careers, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Predator Free Bay of Islands aims to eradicate predators from the three main peninsulas in the region, and significantly reduce their impact throughout the wider 80,000-plus ...1 week ago
- Government commits $600,000 to flood recoveryThe Government is contributing $600,000 to help residents affected by the weekend’s violent weather with recovery efforts. Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor have been in the Buller district this afternoon to assess flood damage and support the local response effort. They have announced ...2 weeks ago
- Government assisting local responses to heavy rainfall and high windActing Minister of Emergency Management Kris Faafoi says Central Government is monitoring the severe weather across the country, and is ready to provide further support to those affected if necessary. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this latest event, particularly communities on the West Coast and ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern chairs APEC Leaders’ meeting on COVID-19New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has chaired a meeting of Leaders representing the 21 APEC economies overnight. “For the first time in APEC’s history Leaders have come together for an extraordinary meeting focused exclusively on COVID-19, and how our region can navigate out of the worst health and economic ...2 weeks ago
- Health Minister welcomes progress on nurses’ payThe New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s decision to take the Government’s improved pay offer to members and to lift strike notices is a positive move towards settling district health board nurses’ pay claims, Health Minister Andrew Little said. “It’s encouraging that the discussions between NZNO and DHBs over the nurses’ employment ...2 weeks ago
- Boost for Pacific regional businessPacific businesses will get a much-needed financial boost as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the new Pacific Aotearoa Regional Enterprise Fund, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. The new $2 million fund will co-invest in Pacific business projects and initiatives to create ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern call with President BidenPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with US President Biden this morning, ahead of the APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat on COVID-19. “President Biden and I discussed the forthcoming APEC leaders meeting and the critical importance of working together as a region to navigate out of the COVID-19 pandemic”, Jacinda Ardern said. ...2 weeks ago
- Renewed partnership creates jobs for New Zealand youthThe Government has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, strengthening the partnership to get more young people into work. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) is a nationwide network of all Mayors in New Zealand, who are committed to making sure all young ...2 weeks ago
- Why those in energy poverty should be angry about Rio Tinto’s latest results
While Tiwai Point’s owner posts spectacular results – crediting dirt-cheap NZ power as a key factor – New Zealanders struggle with high electricity prices that are set to rise even further.This column first appeared in Bernard Hickey’s newsletter The KākāLast night, when the average temperature in Christchurch was minus one ...56 mins ago - Clark on supermarket report: 'I think we all want a better deal'
Supermarket operators not behaving as they should need to analyse whether they have consumers' best interests at heart, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark says. ...59 mins ago - History made the world we live in: here’s what you’ll learn if you choose it in years 11 and 12
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heather Sharp, Associate Professor, History and Curriculum Studies, University of Newcastle Temple of Edfu temple, Egypt. Shutterstock This article is part of a series providing school students with evidence-based advice for choosing subjects in their senior years. History is for students curious ...1 hour ago - NZ tops list of societies likeliest to survive global collapse of civilisationRenewable energy, food supply and an isolated spot in the world see plucky Aotearoa punching above its weight again. Turns out Peter Thiel and assorted billionaire doomsday preppers were on to something when they stuck a pin in the New Zealand map as location of choice for the apocalypse bunker. A ...2 hours ago
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- UN Covid-19 case to arrive in NZ from Fiji
A United Nations worker in Fiji who has contracted the Delta variant of the coronavirus will be brought into New Zealand and cared for at Middlemore Hospital A hospitalised Covid-19 case from Fiji is arriving in New Zealand later today, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. The person is an ...3 hours ago - Jobs for Nature: Northland projects set for $20m boostProjects in Northland targeting pest control, kauri protection and ecological restoration have been earmarked for an expansion of the Jobs for Nature programme. ...3 hours ago
- Govt Must Heed CommComm Warning: Land Use Regulation Drives Up Grocery Prices
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the Commerce Commission’s draft report on New Zealand’s grocery market, which highlights how complex land use regulations restrict competition and drive up prices. Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, ...3 hours ago - Employment Indicators: Weekly As At 26 July 2021The experimental weekly series provides an early indicator of employment and labour market changes in a more timely manner than the monthly employment indicators series. Key facts The 6-day series includes jobs with a pay period equal to or less than ...4 hours ago
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The two big supermarket chains are pocketing high profits by charging Kiwis the sixth-highest prices in the OECD, the Commerce Commission has found. Tough action is needed to allow a big new nationwide player to compete in NZ's towns and cities. Separately, the Commission is to investigate apparent misconduct, ...4 hours ago - Use Of Force On Youth In Wellington JustifiedThe Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that an officer was justified in using force to restrain a youth after he resisted an arrest for disorderly behaviour. On 4 September 2020, a 14-year-old male was arrested for disorderly behaviour outside ...4 hours ago
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- Law Commission Proposes Changes To Surrogacy LawsTe Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission is proposing a new legal framework to provide legal recognition for the parents of surrogate-born children. The Commission has today published an Issues Paper and is seeking feedback on options to change how ...5 hours ago
- Abuse in care costs: Govt considered asking churches for moneyThe government considered asking churches to help pay for the Royal Commission into historic abuse in care as it grappled with the inquiry's skyrocketing spending, new documents show. ...5 hours ago
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- 'This is it': Wallabies' exemption the last during travel pause – RobertsonThe Deputy Prime Minister is drawing the line on rugby exemptions to the trans-Tasman bubble pause after the Wallabies arrive for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup. ...6 hours ago
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- Vaccine selfies may seem trivial, but they show people doing their civic duty — and probably encou...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Have you been vaccinated yet? And if you have, are you one of a growing number of people who posted a selfie on social media afterwards? At a time when ...6 hours ago
- Australian media showed their best in covering the COVID pandemic — at least for the first few mon...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Nolan, Associate Professor – Communication and Media, University of Canberra Everyone knows 2020 was a weird year. But was news coverage atypical too, or did it perform as per usual? To find out, researchers at the University of Canberra worked with ...6 hours ago
- Over 18 and considering the AstraZeneca vaccine? This may help you decideSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Yates, Assistant Professor, General Practice, Bond University Shutterstock If you are 18 or older, and in an area where there is a COVID-19 outbreak, the best vaccine for you is the one you can get right now. That possibly ...6 hours ago
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- Schooling in lockdown isn’t home schooling – but we can learn from the real thingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole (Nikki) Brunker, Lecturer in Education, University of Sydney Shutterstock Adding to the clamour of argument over whether schools should be open to all during lockdown is confusion in terminology. Using the term “home schooling” to describe schooling during lockdown is ...6 hours ago
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- ‘I don’t want realism. I want magic’: behind the fantasy fueling our real estate voyeurismSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Toland, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, University of Technology Sydney alice kang/Unsplash In 2014, a Florida real estate group began advertising its latest in a series of luxury condominiums designed by global “starchitects”. The ads featured photorealistic computer-generated imagery ...6 hours ago
- Chris Bishop: Five ideas to improve New Zealand’s vaccine rolloutAs the delta variant spreads around the world, the importance of our vaccination programme only grows. And it needs to be better, writes the National Party spokesperson for Covid-19 response.There are few things more important right now than the efficient and effective rollout of Covid-19 vaccines to New Zealanders. It ...6 hours ago
- Police union urges action on recruitment as officers leave forceThe Police Association is urging the government to unlock money set aside for more police recruits as dozens of officers leave the force. ...6 hours ago
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- Small muesli maker blows whistle on big supermarkets
As the Commerce Commission reports on the competitive behaviour of NZ's supermarket chains, a local food supplier speaks out about how hard they screw down prices. The maker of an acclaimed sustainably-sourced breakfast cereal says the growth of her business has been stopped in its tracks by the tough tactics of ...7 hours ago - ‘Tricky’ council masks nitrate effect, Mike Joy says
The debate over what a prominent freshwater ecologist calls tricky statistics goes another round. David Williams reports Environment Canterbury is ignoring its own data to cover-up nitrate pollution, freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy says. It’s a claim the regional council rejects. Last Friday, ECan, as it’s known, released its annual ...8 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 29 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...9 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Thursday 29 July
...9 hours ago - Meet the Kiwi bitcoin miners chasing millionsMatthew Brown and Carl Shaw have been mining bitcoin for a decade. Josie Adams asks them why they still believe – and how they answer criticism about mining’s environmental impact during a global climate crisis. In early 2018, shoppers at Queen Street’s The Strand Arcade had clammy feet. The ground ...9 hours ago
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Strong retail growth is driving NZ's small business sales but is not enough to restore them to their robust pre-Covid health ...9 hours ago - Mosque attack movie needed early warning
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Hope Paula Bennett holds up a lethal dose of "weed" in the house today. If she won't you do it Prime Minister.
That would be pretty funny – unfortunately it wouldn't fit through the doors. Suffice to say the only risk of death from a lethal dose would be through it falling on you and crushing or suffocating you.
Bennett's been a poster-child for dishonesty and lack of integrity for a decade now, so her oregano-waving is par for her unsavoury course. It's depressing that she so consistently gets away with it.
She’s tarnished the image of green growers by using a plastic bag. She could have used an edible cup, for example.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/117927572/air-new-zealand-trials-edible-vanillaflavoured-coffee-cups-to-reduce-waste
How about a re-useable glass jam jar?
The sealed top would keep the plant fresh?
What is the scene like in Wellington?
Could anyone score that much Oregano before question time?
I m an alcoholic I have struggled with it for decades I consume 90 – 200 grams of alcohol a day (yeah food is a much lower priority). When I have cannabis to smoke I lose interest in drinking – if it is legalised with the home growing allowed …I will smoke about 1 gram a day instead of ingesting 90 – 200 grams a day of alcohol. I see the merchants of hate doing their utmost to try to prevent this – images of Bridges and Bennett induce revulsion, depression and fear in me. /rant ends
With you there Barfly 100%
Best treatment is "preventive medicine"
" I see the merchants of hate doing their utmost to try to prevent this – images of Bridges and Bennett induce revulsion, depression and fear in me. "
They do such damage with their politicking and lies, and I hope in this case it is seen by all NZers as the hot air of rancid balloons that it is. I would prefer a government who looks at the harm done by current laws to change them without need for referendum. Let's hope that is the case within the next couple of years, it will benefit many – as well as yourself.
with any luck they're run a paper bag over the head style campaign like the rich people did with MMP and get a backlash over their stpuidity.
Does big alcohol donate to the nats?
Donate? not sure – but there are ties
"Katherine Rich served as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party from 1999 to 2008. She has been chief executive of the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council, an industry lobby group, since 2009. Wikipedia"
She was active on the debate on rtd's from memory.
Big alcohol used to be thought as big funder to Nats.
There was Sir Henry Kelliher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kelliher#Business
And Sir Ernest Davis. http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/docs/1987/NZJH_21_1_07.pdf
So when is Jones going to be sacked for corruption?.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/404837/new-details-revealed-over-nz-first-linked-company-and-shane-jones-office
Probably about the same time Bill English is arrested for fraud…that is never
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10600100
The old double dipper bru haha
Buster 12 my question to you is if this is true here;
“The Latest on the US Democratic Party “Impeachment into Trump inquiry” results so far is – “Nothing to see here” according to the Democratic impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.”
Democratic Party you are a wasting lots of valuable of time here,
Question is ; US democratic Party- Why don’t you get on to fix our planet will you.!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is a fitting quote here is; “US Democratic Party is siting doing nothing while Rome burns”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-report-says-no-evidence-for-trump-impeachment-warns-of-dangerous-precedent
Quote;
“The fact that Republicans may be derelict in their duty does not relieve us of our obligation to uphold and defend the Constitution,” Schiff tweeted last week.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., also ripped Trump for not fully cooperating with Congress.
“If the President thinks the call was ‘perfect’ and there is nothing to hide then he would turn over the thousands of pages of documents requested by Congress, allow witnesses to testify instead of blocking testimony with baseless privilege claims, and provide any exculpatory information that refutes the overwhelming evidence of his abuse of power,” he said in a statement.
Not sure what you're on about, that has nothing to do with what i asked.
Well you are here now calling for a 'sacking' of one of our MPs in NZ, we see as based on slim pickings, similar to the same thing happening in Washington now.
So its about your slim narrative you involve in as Democratic party are in Washington.
Are you a member of some 'anti-NZ First political hit'?
Now we all know what happened to Paula's "oregano" and the "baking powder" she'd bagged up for today…
"We need a President who isn’t a laughing stock to the entire World,” Donald Trump tweeted in 2014. “We need a truly great leader, a genius at strategy and winning. Respect!”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/04/world-is-laughing-donald-trump/
Trump's mental health questioned.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-mental-state-impeachment-psychiatrist-petition-congress-a9232386.html
The health of USA political system questioned too!
Interesting how the world 'unites' at the 'hilarity' of Trump..what we really need is a world where any and all leaders who don't advocate for a basic level of equality for all their citizens, and who don't bring around actual real change to prepare for the climate disaster currently brewing..that those leaders are treated as the odd one out..the 'joke' if you will..especially those in comparatively wealthy, educated and proggresive Nations.
Watching Princess Anne* being entertained by the likes of Macron, Trudeau, Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte with their hilarious observations of Trump I couldn't help but wonder who would be the first to crack a joke about that naughty pedo brother of hers and his sex trafficker friends..oh, yeah, and ol' Bill Clinton..
* at the Buckingham Palace drinks reception for NATO leaders last night
There is a large number of people who find Trump particularly amusing or entertaining. I suspect it is because they are not those who are impacted by his government and policies. Those who are – quite rightly – will be understandably terrified of this man and the harm he and his government have inflicted. And no-one really knows what his next transgression will be. It is almost like the hyper-vigilance children often have when a parent is both violent and unpredictable.
"..what we really need is a world where any and all leaders who don't advocate for a basic level of equality for all their citizens, and who don't bring around actual real change to prepare for the climate disaster currently brewing.. ..that those leaders are treated as the odd one out.. " I'll join you in hoping for the next iteration of leaders. They'll be needed.
Live animal exports – let's stop. They don't get a luxury cruise, they didn't want to go anywhere away from their home paddock, and they suffer discomfort all the way at least, which will increase as world weather patterns become more extreme, and many may die in distress. Stop this, can we hold onto values of care and not behave like boorish and brutal …. (think your own description).
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/12/05/review-of-controversial-live-export-trade-open-for-public-submissions-safe/
When do submissions close? This on google:
Review of livestock exports from New Zealand | MPI | NZ …
https://www.mpi.govt.nz › news-and-resources › consultations › review-of-li…
Nov 22, 2019 – Review of livestock exports. Closing Date: 22 Jan 2020. Contact: Animal welfare policy. Email: livestock.consult@mpi.govt.nz …
Thanks for raising this Greywarshark and providing the link.
This is an interesting searching piece about Wellington planners other-planet plans. 2/12/2019
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=124202
Some interesting figures that savenz found on PPP in the UK – these apply to roading: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/12/04/the-daily-blog-open-mic-wednesday-4th-december-2019/#comment-483347
roading This report: https://image.guim.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2004/11/24/PFI.pdf
found that PPP “contracts are considerably more expensive than the cost of conventional procurement”, resulting in higher returns for the companies running the PPP’s compared to their industry peers.
While hard to compare because of the opaque nature of many contracts and large amounts of subcontracting out, it looked like the actual cost of capital of the PPP’s was 11% compared to Treasure borrowing of 4.5% i.e. 6.5% higher. This is supposed to represent the cost of risk transfer but in practice there was no risk transfer so it’s money for nothing.
The Greenpeace "OMV" protests have been very stylish events. The latest, where a "Museum to oil" was set up, shows how well presented these protests have become; no hand-scribbled placards here; everything that gets seen by the public is, well, classy, these days.
Thanks! I made a post about it
Seems to me that activists are more sophisticated; they use smart phones instead of megaphones. Some protests are gentrified events.
"Some protests are gentrified events"
'cept for that "locked-on" bit
Handcuffs are quite popular in gentrified suburbs, I’ve been told.
Fendalton anti-oil protesters, putting in the hard-yards…who knew???
Never judge a book by its cover. I find Prius drivers quite aggressive on the road. I haven’t seen too many Teslas so I’ll have to reserve judgment on those.
Prius drivers aggressive? Perhaps they haven't been able to find the key to the cuffs?
Bill
I am surprised Israel Folau didn’t get a mention. Christmas certainly came early for the $8 million dollar man. Free speech, not rugby, was the winner.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
The ARU decision to issue Folau a new 4 year contract after the first social media contention would itself rank as one of the bigger blunders made by any sports body executives.
And that was before the sacking, the impasse since and the cost of the settlement – so it now ranks as one of the all-time great blunders. Her own contract is unlikely to be renewed. 
By the way the CEO says that the $8M is untrue and it is less (journalists will speculate to get clarification of the area of the amount).
If the cost to the ARU settlement is greater than
1.future legal costs BAD
2. the unpaid part of the 4 year contract (3 years – 3.6M) VERY BAD.
3. closer to 8 than 4, DISASTROUS.
Jamie Stern-Weiner argues that the (UK based) The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) is shifting the goal posts to portray that antisemitism is higher on the left (polling done via You Gov), and not the right (based around questions about Israel).
https://jamiesternweiner.wordpress.com/2019/12/03/fake-campaign-against-antisemitism/
(based around questions about Israel)
Framing the questions to give you the answers that suit your agenda is a long-standing problem in the social sciences.
People are turning to the gypsy life, not choosing to form a settled community that they help build and support?
(https://play.stuff.co.nz/details/_6106975299001
That looks like some fun.and good on Joel for building up a career as an inspirational speaker…but they really should have a disclaimer...
"World Nomads, the global travel brand and insurance provider.".
Advertising has become very under the radar these days.
So the ODT has changed how it selects cartoons – now throws it to the news team rather than just leaving it to the editor.
I guess "we got it wrong" should read "I got it wrong".
I had the impression from Stewart that he didn't make the decision eg when asked directly he said something like it was his responsibility. The kind of answer you'd give as a boss for someone under you who had fucked up who you weren't going to throw under the bus. I could be wrong and he might have just been trying to soften the blows towards himself.
That's a good apology now. Respect.
It's a fine apology, I'll give it that.
It also includes the lines (my italics):
So the author of the apology was the only person at the ODT who selected what cartoon to publish.
That's the perils of contracting out, I guess. I watched a doco a few years ago on a veteran US newspaper cartoonist – apparently each day he'd scratch up a dozen and then show them around the newsroom to see which one people saluted the most. I guess if one guy is writing from a lifestyle block near Queenstown and it's only being reviewed by an editor of 'a similar demographic', outright crass disregard for the lives of people of colour might slip under the radar.
If the Editor was off sick or had a personal emergency, who was making decisions? I assume 'editor' there means a single position, not a single person.
It might have been Stewart, who possibly wasn't paying attention and later realised just how bad a mistake it was. That could be a similar demographic issue as well or someone overworked/stressed.
I'm thinking his willingness to front up suggests this wasn't a case of pushing the controversy envelope for the sake of it and now backtracking in the face of public criticism (i.e. he seems to genuinely agree it was a terrible decision).
I guess I'm just pleased to see someone who seems genuine and made an actual apology instead of a faux, get me out of hot water one.
of course, I have no idea, am just going off the bits I've read. I don't have a sense of him as a person.
True that.
But this isn't the first time Tremain has done some pretty shite cartoons. I don't get the impression he tries to be edgy for clicks, so much as that he's a privileged dick who doesn't bother to check if he's punching down.
Totally agree with that. Tremain is just an arsehole who doesn't give a shit (or worse, thinks he's not doing anything wrong). The impression I have is that it's the *papers that publish his cartoons because of the edge. In this case they seriously misjudged how bad the cartoon was and I guess that's in part because they're acclimatised to his routine racism, having published it for so long. I hope this is part of their review.
I get the impression that the ODT runs Garrick Tremain for the same reason the Fortune Theatre loved to run Roger Hall plays: it's what seemed to get the local audience amongst the provincial well-to-dos who still want to pay for subscriptions to the actual paper. And I think Tremain gets points for having been around for so long and being "local".
To be fair, Tremain has the cartoon art schtick down pat. Some of his political party stuff is good. It's just that his best caricature is of "cartoonist for the moneyed colonialist patriarchy". And the ODT has always been the voice of the establishment, as far back as I can recall. To the degree that an NLP comrade of mine reckoned he knew for sure that Lab4 had turned tory when the ODT editorial started singing its praises.
Lol that last bit.
Ok, so Tremain might be valued for his overall body of work rather than the pushing the edge ones?
I was wondering yesterday who still reads a physical paper. I only read one when I'm in a cafe. I see people on twitter saying they bought a copy of the Herald to read something that was paywalled, which is interesting.
Also interesting was Stuff republishing the measles cartoon in their coverage of the response from the public and the ODT despite also writing a clear description of the cartoon content.
Tremain has been going for thirty years. The ODT much longer.
I'm not sure either have really moved on in the last few decades.
I can't shake the feeling that neither of them were being edgy. It's possible that the editor didn't really review the cartoon itself, but it's equally possible neither the editor nor the cartoonist saw anything wrong with it. Because that's how NZ was as a matter of routine. We're still "racist as fuck", but at least sometimes the people who refuse to change get called out on it now.
The best I can think of is that the literal dozens of deaths were fighting for attention in their minds against the perception of measles as a fairly harmless disease… just "spots". If 50 kids had died in a bus accident in Samoa, I doubt there would have been a cartoon about someone failing their local car WoF inspection.
Yep, changed my mind, I think you are right and I was wrong giving Stewart the benefit of the doubt. Long standing pattern of behaviour,
suspect it wasnt reviewed by anyone….and was tone deaf…Tremain defended it even after pointed out.
he submitted it and it was published without any oversight?
If a cartoonist can't offend, then free speech is worthless. That's something we can take from the Israel Folau saga, which saw Rugby Australia capitulate. RA inexplicably thought rugby, and its sponsors, were more important than free speech. Numpties.
Besides, what the cartoonist did in this instance can be seen and heard on just about any episode of 7 Days.
normally would agree cartoonists are to challenge but some things really need self censorship/compassion
do you believe there should be no limits on free speech? eg a cartoon graphically depicting the rape of a child would be ok?
What about a cartoon inciting racial violence?
do you believe there should be no limits on free speech? eg a cartoon graphically depicting the rape of a child would be ok?
What about a cartoon inciting racial violence?
Tremain's cartoon does neither, so it might be useful to talk about reality rather than take a detour into fantasy. Certainly free speech has its limits. But some people take offence at the drop of a hat. You are free to take offence or not.Taking offence isn't compulsory. I'm not offended by Tremain's cartoon. I'm also not offended by 7 Days, whose attempt at humour can be more extreme than anything done by Tremain.
There was outrage among some people at the cartoon of Serena Williams following her meltdown at the US open in 2018. Actually, it was an accurate portrayal of Williams’ petulant behaviour.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/25/serena-williams-cartoon-not-racist-australian-media-watchdog-rules
ok, so you're not arguing that cartoonists should be free to offend at will, you're saying there should be a limit but in this case the limit is wrong. What makes you think you should get to say where the limit is rather than others?
Limits are prescribed in law. You might recall MP Louisa Wall going to the High Court because she didn't like an Al Nisbet cartoon. She lost, of course, because the Nisbet cartoon wasn't inciting violence. In fact, it didn't come close to inciting violence. Again, if you choose to be offended, that's your choice. But you can just as easily choose not to be offended.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11992927
a cartoon depicting the rape of child wouldn't necessarily be illegal. So where is the limit? Saying you want to talk about reality doesn't help, I suspect that's you simply sidestepping the fact that you have a limit and aren't being honest about it. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe you are ok with such a cartoon. Either way, you're still saying that you should get to decide where the limit is, whereas at the moment society generally accepts the limit is reached before legality.
Freedom of speech is at core a principle that governments shouldn't prevent citizens from expressing opinions. There's no government involvement here. Tremain is still free to post his cartoon on his website. He hasn't been sacked, so there is no institutional suppression of his voice there either.
What we have is a large number of people saying that it's inflammatory to use political power to make jokes about a contagious disease that is killing children while children are still dying, in a country that is in a state of emergency and that has strong family and cultural ties to NZ. Of course people are going to take that personally, there will be NZ citizens who have people close to them who have died. Grief isn't something that one just chooses out of.
Had someone made that joke on TS, they'd have been moderated because otherwise a flame war would have started and that interferes with the purpose of the site. People aren't inherently protected from being offended, but likewise people in positions of power can't just do what they want without consequence. This is the continual adjustment that society makes all the time, in large part influenced by the collective will.
Protecting society from the equivalent of flame wars is important. Protecting freedom of speech is also important but I think there needs to be a better argument than 'I can say what I want and bugger anyone who is offended'.
Weka
Nowhere am I saying I get to decide. I said the law gets to decide, usually in exceptional cases or where someone has a bee in their bonnet. The Tremain cartoon isn’t exceptional.
As for your claim that there needs to be a better argument to justify free speech, actually there doesn’t. What there ought to be is a very good argument to restrict or deny free speech. You haven’t made out such an argument.
suspect so…hes been around for a long time, doubt editor looked at it
Interesting, hadn't thought of that. It would explain the Editor’s shock.